PC Gaming = World of Suck

Handruin

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First impression wasn't that great. The audio kept making this static noise whenever I got shot. The performance was terrible/unplayable on my current system at 1600x1200 (pipe-dream, I know). At 1024x768 is was managable, but not great.
 

Mercutio

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The AMD64s I bought from newegg on Monday came with something called "Bet On Soldier". It looks kinda cool, like UT but with more of a military edge. The screenshots have battlemechs. That's a good sign. :)
 

Handruin

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I downloaded the single player for BOS and so far I like the game, but it's buggy. Several times it has caused my ATI drivers to complain, in turn kicking me out of the game...mostly when I get hit with a grenede.

And yes Merc, your soldier can control a battlemech. The one I was able to control didn't have weapons, but that didn't stop me from stomping on people. :eek:wneddnce:
 

mangyDOG

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Two games which are due for release later this year which will be worth looking at are:

1) Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - basically a single player roleplaying adventure game with a very loose central story line and hundreds of minor tasks and virtually unlimited free exploration. When I played ES3 for the first time it took me nearly a week before I even figured out what the main plot was.

2) X3: Reunion - X2 it the best space / scifi / trading game I have played since Megatraveller on my Amiga500 back in 1990. I have high hopes for this new release.

Of course if you haven't played Elder Scrolls 3 or X2 the return, and you like these types of games - I recommend them both. With X2 you absolutely need to subscribe to the forums (you get the login info with the purchase of a legit version of the game) as the manual is very basic and the game complexity is immense. You should also put aside at least 2 weeks holiday to play the game.

cheers,
mangyDOG
 

Mercutio

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Some exciting new releases in the last few weeks: Civilization 4. Quake 4. Serious Sam 2.

And also City of Villains, which I'm in no way excited about even though I preordered it, because its developers have managed to suck all the fun out of City of Heroes.
 

Handruin

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In addition to those, there is also news on the half-life 2 front (which I know you won't appriciate as much):

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast:
If you own a retail copy of Half-Life 2, head on over to the Steam website and download Half-Life 2: Lost Coast. The download is just under 320MB, grab it if you want it.


Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, a single-player level custom-created to showcase High-Dynamic Range lighting (HDR) in the Source engine, is available now to all owners of HL2. As a technology showcase, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast's system requirements are very high. During installation, Steam will prompt you if your system does not meet the recommended configuration. We hope you enjoy it.
 

Groltz

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I finished Serious Sam 2 last night.

Much less original and much more annoying than the First encounter/Second encounter chapters.

Still not bad, though. The graphics are fairly impressive. Croteam's "cutesy" humor that is heavily infused into the cutscenes and people within the civilizations you're liberating is a bit much. ...Kind of like the stench of someone wearing too much cheap perfume, perhaps. :eekers:

I enjoyed GTA: San Andreas quite a bit. For the world realism, vehicles, and funny bystander dialog especially.

On to F.E.A.R. and Quake 4.
 

Mercutio

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I've heard that the copy protection on FEAR is about a dozen kinds of evil. It installs as a driver and can mess up all sorts of things.

I don't really "get" the Grand Theft Auto games. I think it's a cultural issue, something I miss out because neither popular music nor cars are terribly appealing to me. I had a hard time finding anything I really wanted to do in Vice City.
 

Groltz

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Well, I have F.E.A.R. pulled down off BT and burned to DVD+R. I have not installed it yet, admittedly. We will see.

***

GTA:SA has missions that one undertakes to move through the storyline...And there is a fairly well plotted storyline there, for a video game anyway.

Music has nothing to do with it except for some missions where you're interacting with urban musicians. I kept the "car radio" function in the game inoperative the entire time I was playing.

To me, it's not an issue of popular cars (or motorcycles, bicycles, helicopters, and airplanes) but that the driving experience and dynamics are fun.
 

Groltz

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Groltz said:
Music has nothing to do with it. (referencing GTA:SA)

Whoops, I missed a couple things. There are missions within the game where you have to dance with a girlfriend and another where you operate the hydraulics of a lowrider car in sync with music. Both of those types of missions are short (maybe a couple minutes) and not difficult. I won't touch urban music (rap, trance, techno, etc.) with a ten-foot pole for personal listening purposes but those game missions are not a big deal.
 

Mercutio

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I got carded twice today.

Once for buying a Playboy. And that pissed me off, 'cause the bitch who sold it to me insisted it was store policy...

and once for buying Serious Sam 2.

And both times, I got pissed off about it. Both times, I refused to show ID, because, as far as I know and am able to determine, neither airbrushed models in softcore poses nor cartoonish violence on nonhuman characters are controlled substances and because, more than that, I don't like the implication that either of those things are as morally suspect as purchasing alcohol, cigarettes or firearms.

Both times, they sold to me, anyway.
But what the hell is wrong with people that they even have to ASK?
 

Groltz

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Mercutio said:
But what the hell is wrong with people that they even have to ASK?

Well, do you look that young?

BTW, I just finished HL2: Lost Coast
The graphics are indeed pretty, but it is a very short level and overly hyped I'd say.
 

Mercutio

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I have five o'clock shadow an hour after I shave and a some grey hair at my temples. I don't look like a kid.
 

CougTek

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I often asked to be carded, but everything I'm being answered that it won't be necessary. Is it a way to tell me that I'm looking old or something?
 

sechs

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In a number of places you have to look older than 45. Basically, you have to obviously be a senior citizen.
 

e_dawg

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Just played Age of Empires II a couple weeks ago. How satisfying. The new AoE III is out, but I don't think I'll get it because I don't have much time to sit down and play for several hours at a time these days.
 

CougTek

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sechs said:
In a number of places you have to look older than 45. Basically, you have to obviously be a senior citizen.
Well, since I'm fit, people usually give me around 35, so I still have a slight chance to be asked for my papers if I ever go to these places.


Regarding games, I would really like to see a modern version of the original X-Wing game (~1993). With updated 3D effects, it would be awesome. I'm not fast enough for recent FPS so I won't buy any, no matter how good they look. I wasn't able to frag boots in Quake 3 even at medium difficulty level. It was quite depressing. I was good at Serious Sam, but that's about it.
 

LunarMist

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sechs said:
In a number of places you have to look older than 45. Basically, you have to obviously be a senior citizen.

Hey, over 45 is not a senior citizen!

I have seen places where everyone is carded for alcohol, even in their late 60s.
 

Santilli

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Mercutio said:
I got carded twice today.

Once for buying a Playboy. And that pissed me off, 'cause the bitch who sold it to me insisted it was store policy...

and once for buying Serious Sam 2.

And both times, I got pissed off about it. Both times, I refused to show ID, because, as far as I know and am able to determine, neither airbrushed models in softcore poses nor cartoonish violence on nonhuman characters are controlled substances and because, more than that, I don't like the implication that either of those things are as morally suspect as purchasing alcohol, cigarettes or firearms.

Both times, they sold to me, anyway.
But what the hell is wrong with people that they even have to ASK?

Mercutio:

Life falls into things one can do something about, things you can't do anything about, and Kalifornia, FUBARED. :evil: :wink:

Serenity requires acceptance of those categories...

GS
 

Buck

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e_dawg said:
Just played Age of Empires II a couple weeks ago. How satisfying. The new AoE III is out, but I don't think I'll get it because I don't have much time to sit down and play for several hours at a time these days.

I'm looking forward to AOE III. But, I'll need to upgrade my hardware first.
 

Gilbo

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Bethesda has released the E3 preview videos to latest Elder Scrolls game. You can find them here. There worth watching for the visual appeal alone, but if you don't know much about the game they'll also give you an overview of most of the biggest features.
 

Mercutio

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LOST6200 said:
Merc,

I am shocked! You dont' have a lifetime subscription? ;)

It's $12 annually for the one year, or $500 for a lifetime sub. There are only about 600 people worldwide who have paid for the lifetime sub. I *DO* have a subscription, except that since I moved to my apartment, I haven't gotten an issue. I think it's a mailman problem but I can't exactly have it sent anyplace else.

I am a Playboy shareholder, though, and I have every magazine and calendar that's been published since the month of my birth. I also have an actual (bunny) Playboy club outfit and some other odds and ends from the clubs (a ring, a couple decks of cards, an ashtray...)
 

Mercutio

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It's a little small for me. :p

Roger Ebert owns John Travolta's white suit from Saturday Night Fever. I'll bet they ask him the same thing.
 

LunarMist

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Mercutio said:
It's a little small for me. :p

Roger Ebert owns John Travolta's white suit from Saturday Night Fever. I'll bet they ask him the same thing.

I though Siskel was the owner of the white suit. Did he will it to Ebert after dying from the brain tumor?
 

LunarMist

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http://www.stairwell.com/doc/siskel.html

"Not a lot of people may know this, but Gene was such a fan of his subject that he collected memorabilia from his favorites. Until recently, he was the proud owner of the white suit that made John Travolta a legend in Saturday Night Fever. You don't make a purchase like that unless you're a fanatic about what you love."
 

Pradeep

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LunarMist said:
I have seen places where everyone is carded for alcohol, even in their late 60s.

Chili's at ORD would be one that I've experienced. Just madness, people who have one foot in the grave being asked for ID. I guess there's always the possibility that they have that rare disease where you age really fast. :roll:

I tend to put my drivers license on the counter when I'm paying, so they don't even have to ask. Sometimes they look (especially if the till requires the cashier to input date of birth). At frequently visited dens of sin (i.e. bottle shop) they know me well :)
 

Mercutio

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Got City of Villains a little bit ago. Well, "got" is a weird word, as I fired up City of Heroes to play and found that I had the option to make Villains.

I made a villain who creates zombies and secretes poison and named her "Evangelical".
 

Santilli

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My only real tie to playboy was having sex with, and asking one of them to marry me.

Diane Hsu Lee, Ms. March, 1988...

She became Ms. March, because, I suggested she try it...

Stupid, MF, idiot that I was...

gs
 

Groltz

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Mercutio said:
I've heard that the copy protection on FEAR is about a dozen kinds of evil. It installs as a driver and can mess up all sorts of things.

My install of F.E.A.R. is running nicely. I just finished about 90 minutes of playing it. Haven't noticed anything funny with the install or anything.
 

i

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Santilli said:
My only real tie to playboy was having sex with, and asking one of them to marry me.

Diane Hsu Lee, Ms. March, 1988...

She became Ms. March, because, I suggested she try it...

Stupid, MF, idiot that I was...

gs

Different person? Note: sorry in advance for asking if it's a painful topic. Don't follow the link if so (although it is at least just imdb.com).
 

i

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You know ... following some of the other links, I really don't want to know. Forget I asked ... sorry!
 

Handruin

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Wow dude. If that's her, the pic I found is hot. Don't beat yourself up over it though. She whored herself out to the world...you don't need that type of stress.
 

Santilli

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I'm not beat up about it at all. At the time, Diane was a full-time modern dancer, and, a tom boy at the same time. We had some REALLY great times together, running at the track, working out together: Fantastic woman. I ran into her at the track, in the first place.

In person she was just jaw dropping. Every woman I introduced her to was insanely jealous, and guys were just stunned. You REALLY don't meet Playboy bunny type pretty girls very often. They are one in a million, etc. At the restaurant I worked at we had a constant influx of just stunning women. They all wanted to work at the Shadowbrook, and Charles did an excellent job of picking the most sane, and beautiful, and nice, and integrating them into the restaurant. A number of them came up to me and said, "She's incredible! And, she doesn't wear any makeup." Diane was wearing a high school letter track jacket, and blue jeans at the time.

last I heard, she's been working in helping injured athletes recover from sports injuries.

I understand she wanted fame, in dance, and movies, and, the Playboy route was hopefully going to open up some sort of acting career. If nothing else, after the life of poverty as a modern dancer in San Jose, the 100 grand from Playboy must have been nice.

My loss of Diane was TOTALLY my fault. She came over one morning, unexpected, and I had had a beer party the night before with the surf guys, and was a mess. She didn't want to deal with that, and, that was pretty much it.

More power to her, she's a wonderful woman, and I was incredibly lucky to have had the time I had with her.

God Bless her, and I wish her well.

GS
 
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